07.06.2010 LANCIA DEALER NETWORK TO BENEFIT WHEN CHRYSLER DISAPPEARS FROM MAINLAND EUROPE

LANCIA DELTA HARD BLACK
LANCIA DELTA HARD BLACK
LANCIA DELTA HARD BLACK
LANCIA DELTA HARD BLACK

Lancia has just rolled out a new television advertising spot in Italy to promote the latest model to join its range: the Delta "Hard Black" which comes with a distinctive matte black paint finish and higher specification and equipment levels.

Lancia will receive a significant boost to its dealer network and gain a vital footprint in markets where it has struggled to make an impact, when its dealer network is combined with Chrysler’s and the U.S. brand is phased out of mainland Europe. That could add up to as many as 200 new showrooms for the prestigious Italian brand once the shakeup takes place next year, according to a report in Automotive News Europe.

Chrysler Group’s European distribution and retail network has recently come under the control of Fiat, as it has in countries around the world outside its key domestic U.S. and Canadian markets. According to ANE, 1,150 Chrysler and Lancia dealers have now been sent letters informing them that their contracts will be terminated as the Fiat Group prepares to shakeup the network and rationalise it into a single integrated business next year. The timeline is due to EU rules that stipulate a dealer must be given 12 months notice of contract termination.

Lancia will remain the nameplate sold in mainland Europe while the Chrysler badge will survive in the UK and Ireland, where Lancias have not been sold since the end of 1993. In these latter two markets both Lancia and Chrysler have poor reputations with consumers, so Chrysler receives the nod due to being the incumbent. Lancia sold a total of 121,000 cars last year in Europe, but almost five-sixths of all its sales came from its domestic market, Italy, meaning the additional dealers it acquires from Chrysler will give it much greater and pinpointed European penetration. Chrysler’s European sales by contrast barely nudged into five figures last year. Fiat Group CEO Sergio Marchionne is targeting combined sales of 300,000 units from Lancia and Chrysler by the end of his latest business plan’s remit in 2014, although this figure evokes memories of his last 300,000 target for Lancia by 2010 which will be missed by a large margin.

Along with an increase in its dealers numbers will come a doubling of Lancia’s range from four to eight models. There will be replacements for the current models in the form of the next-generation Ypsilon, due in 2011, and a new minivan from Chrysler to replace the current PSA joint-venture-sourced Phedra, while the Italian brand’s range will be padded out by fresh models including Chrysler’s new D-segment replacement for its unloved Sebring and its next 300 series flagship sedan. Fiat Group Automobiles’ sales chief Lorenzo Sistino told ANE that Lancia’s dealers will need to find a way to increase floor space to accommodate this dramatic doubling of the range. Separation of Lancia and Chrysler by European region should also lead to a much clearer and focused marketing strategy – the confused ‘puzzle’ themed joint stand rolled out at the Geneva Motor Show in the spring had automotive industry watchers cringing, and indeed had the reverse effect than that intended, visually highlighting the fundamental differences between the brands rather than their similarities.

According to ANE, Lancia currently has 795 dealers and 785 showrooms across mainland Europe, while the Chrysler Group (including integrated Jeep and Dodge dealers) has approximately 556 dealers and 750 showrooms. These will be combined and rationalised to around 1,000 retail outlets. Chrysler and Lancia CEO Olivier François told ANE: “Our plan is to have in place by May 2011 a Lancia/Chrysler integrated network comprising about 800 dealers and over 1,000 dealerships.” Sistino said that the change will benefit dealers because the combined product portfolio of the two brands will amount to a full lineup. “It will be a much more appealing franchise,” he said at the Automotive Dealer Day event in Verona last weekend.

Sistino added that Dodge is set to become just a niche player in Europe, importing only its muscle cars such as the Charger and Challenger. Dodge is already seeing its range being wound down: in the UK, where it has seen more appeal than in many other European markets, just one model – the Journey minivan – is still listed for sale on its website. Sistino said that most of the current Chrysler dealers that also sell the Jeep brand will be given new Jeep-dedicated franchises, and where there are geographical gaps in its European dealer network, Fiat, Lancia and Alfa Romeo dealers will be offered the American specialist SUV division.
 

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